The Running Log
Scholars maintain that the first running log predates the Bible, and that early cave paintings depict warriors sprinting through fields before returning home to jot down interval times in a spiral-bound notebook. While this may not be exactly historically accurate, running logs have long been an important part of casual training and competitive running.
Logging your workout can serve several purposes and be a very useful tool in helping you achieve your goals. The most obvious benefit of a log is having a written record of your workouts that you can use to log mileage and monitor progress. Being able to track how much time and distance you’ve put in during a week or month can help you avoid injuries and prepare properly for races. Another benefit of logging your workouts is the psychological boost you get from seeing all of your hard work on paper (or a computer screen). A week out from your first marathon, you might calm the pre-race butterflies by reminding yourself how long you’ve been preparing for this race, and how good you felt after that 16 mile long run. A log can also help keep you motivated almost in the same way that a sticker on a chart can motivate a child. Personally, I look forward to logging my workout when I get home because it’s a visual confirmation that I’m moving closer to my goals, and I hate looking back and seeing empty days with no entry.
While a sheet of paper, a notebook, or a calendar can all make a good log, I use an online log at RunningAhead.com. I promise I’m not on their payroll, but with the rousing review you’re about to read, I should be. The site has just about everything you need to document your workouts, and is well designed and easy to navigate. Not only can you map your runs, rides, open-water swims, etc. to verify distance, but you can enter your shoe model and automatically track how many miles you’ve put on your kicks, upload data from a GPS unit if you use one, and customize graphs and charts to easily display the info most important to you. No notebook to lose or spreadsheet to make; quite possibly the single greatest use of the internet…right? Whichever method you use, just be diligent about logging each workout and you’ll build a great training tool to help you reach your next PR.
